


To the Afterlife

by risixinfinite



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Memory Loss, Reincarnation, Slow Burn, i get to write what i want sorry Blizzard, i have no idea what im doing, i swear this will be a happy ending just a lot of shit in the middle, prepare for shit you have been warned, this is very different from the game, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:46:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26028187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risixinfinite/pseuds/risixinfinite
Summary: When someone dies, their soul embarks on a final journey. They meet those who have done them wrong or those they’ve wronged while they were still alive- one final meeting to tie loose ends. These souls aren’t alone in the journey as they are accompanied by a wayfairer.Sylvanas dies and Jaina is her wayfairer.
Relationships: Jaina Proudmoore/Sylvanas Windrunner
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	To the Afterlife

**Author's Note:**

> Hi so I'm bored out of my mind since we're still on quarantine. This story is probably the farthest thing from the game please just let me write something to keep myself entertained. I have no idea where this is headed but I swear this has a happy ending.

_ This is it.  _ Sylvanas thought. If it weren’t for the world around her currently in flames, she would’ve been laughing by now. This was all rather comical. She managed to escape death long enough to believe she’d outlive all her enemies but as they say, part of the journey is the end- and this was the end. This was a terrible way to die but she didn’t have any other choice. She needed to buy the villagers some time if they were to escape so she did what she had to do; she stopped fighting. The Lich were after her anyway and if she gave up her life right then and there, nobody else would have to die. 

Sylvanas was done fighting. She was sick of war. 

She dropped to her knees preparing herself for the inevitable. She never would have imagined for things to end this way and for the first time in a very long while, she was afraid. Fear was an emotion she has far long forgotten as it was one she had to stow away because it had no place in a life like hers. She couldn’t allow fear to control her life because her responsibility required her to do things no one else could, and fear would only get in the way of that. 

Every once in awhile she would discover something new about herself and today she found out she was afraid of dying- it was a reality she knew all too well but never really gave much thought to. She always wondered what dying would be like.  _ Was it quick and painless or does a second feel like a lifetime _ ? 

“You’ve been running away all your life. Haven’t you grown tired of this?”   
_ If I could go back in time and undo what I’ve done, believe me, I would have.  _

“All that sacrifice for nothing” 

_ No, it wasn’t. If it means I finally get to defeat you then so be it.  _

“To be quite honest, I’m disappointed in you. I thought you’d put up a fight and give us a spectacular show like you always do. Here’s a little secret… I’ve grown to enjoy watching you use your powers to annihilate my army. I didn’t expect you to surrender so easily” he gave a low chuckle before continuing “You could have ended this a long time ago, Sylvanas. Countless lives were lost because of you”. Hearing those words sent shivers down her spine because  _ they were true _ . 

She finally looked up and mustered every bit of courage she had left inside of her and said, “then end it”. This wasn’t a challenge, it was a demand. 

Although it was dark, she could clearly see the evil smirk forming on the figure’s lips. The next moment, there was a blinding bolt of purple light coming towards her. Time slowed down for just a moment and at the corner of her eye, she saw the last group of villagers make it through the portal. 

_ This is it _ . 

They made it. She knew they’d be safe when all of this is over and that comforting thought was the only thing keeping her company in her last few moments. As the portal disappeared, she closed her eyes desperately wishing she had a hand to hold, desperately wishing death was quicker and easier than falling asleep. 

\-----------------

_ Something’s wrong. I know I wished for it to be painless but is it really THIS painless?  _

Sylvanas couldn’t see anything but not because it was dark no, as a matter of fact, it was the opposite. Everything was white. It was eerie. 

_ “Sylvanas”  _ a voice whispered. It was a familiar voice, the voice made her feel warm. It felt and sounded like home. “ _ Sylvanas,” _ it said yet again but she couldn’t trace the origin of the voice “ _ wake up”  _

Her eyes snapped open. She awoke awfully disoriented and was as lost as lost can be. She sat up and looked at her surroundings and began to create a mental list of everything she observed.

_ Field. Flowers. House. Barn. River. Lake. Vineyard. Valley.  _

By this time, she was almost a hundred percent sure she was still alive because this was far from the fiery depths of hell she imagined she’d find herself to be in once she died. 

_ Perhaps I teleported myself to Belore knows where in a state of panic.  _ Her instincts kicked in and she thought of following the river to find a village, or anyone really that could enlighten her as to where she is. 

“Hi-” 

“Aaah” Sylvanas screamed in surprise and instinctively reached for her bow which wasn’t there. “Light behold, you scared me!” She turned around to see a… human dressed in a tunic of white and blue with a large staff in hand. 

_ A female grim reaper? Dressed in white and blue? Surely, this one is new to the job. Shouldn’t they be wearing clothes much darker to scare the souls?  _

“Are you the one in charge of dragging me to eternal damnation? Was all this to show me what I could have had if only I-” Sylvanas was in the middle of asking when she was rudely interrupted by the woman in front of her who dared to  _ laugh _ . Normally, she wouldn’t have held a comment with biting wit however, Sylvanas knew better than to mess with whoever this was. For all she knew, this could all be an illusion and this might be a treacherous demon after all

The “human” managed to calm herself down and wipe away the tears in her eyes. “Wow, give me a minute I’m so sorry. Thank you for that. I can’t remember the last time I had a good laugh” she said, finally composing herself. “I was in the middle of introducing myself but you seemed to be the... jittery type, my apologies” 

Sylvanas’ ear twitched in disbelief and annoyance at what she heard.  _ Jittery? How dare she. _ At that moment she threw all caution to the wind. “You listen to me, I have lived an awfully long life and not once did anybody call me  _ jittery, _ ” she said emphasizing the word. She no longer cared who this being was. Whether she be alive or dead, no one can get away with insulting her like that. 

“Right… yes... my apologies again I meant no insult. Going back, please bear with me as this is quite a lengthy introduction,” the ‘human’ said. She cleared her throat and before Sylvanas could say anything, she continued. 

“Hi, my name is Jaina. To answer your initial questions first of all, yes you died. Where are you? Well, only you would know the answer to that. This place is from your memory after all but don’t worry if you can’t recognize any of this, it’s perfectly normal. Your memory should slowly return in the course of your journey.

Before you ask, yes journey. When you die, your soul embarks on a final journey to the afterlife. Here, you’re uh…  _ forced  _ to face those you’ve met in life who have passed on before you. Some of them you’ve wronged or perhaps it’s the opposite as they have wronged you. This, of course, is to rid yourself of any baggage because the only way you can move on to the afterlife is if you’ve finally made peace… with everything. 

As I’ve said, I’m Jaina, and I will be your wayfairer. In simple terms, I’m to be your guide, companion, or friend, whatever you prefer to call my presence, in this final journey of yours. So no, I’m not here to drag you to eternal damnation… no matter how vile you were before” she gave a teasing smile as she said her last statement. “This can all be overwhelming and it’s a lot to take in so no worries, you’re in no rush. Time is one thing we have in abundance here” she said while waving her hand and taking a look at their surroundings. “Actually, it doesn’t even exist at all.” 

By the time Jaina finished her introduction, Sylvanas’ head was buzzing with questions. Everything seemed to hit her all at once. Jaina was right, this was too much to take in. It was only now that she realized she couldn’t remember why she was here in the first place. 

_ Dead? Why would I be dead? What was I doing before all of this? Where was I before waking up in this field in the middle of nowhere? No, this isn’t the middle of nowhere she said I know this place and that this was all from my memory.  _

Sylvanas was racking her mind because she should have known the answers to all those questions, but try as she might, she just couldn’t remember anything. She found herself unable to breathe properly as if the weight of the world was on her chest. The world around her started to sway and she collapsed to her knees. In an instant, Jaina was right beside her trying to support her.

“I… can’t remember anything. I know the answers. I should know the answers but I-” she couldn’t even finish her sentence. Sylvanas bit her tongue in an attempt to bring her back to reality and stop herself from crying.  _ This is pathetic. What childlike behavior this is to panic and cry. _

“It’s alright. Like I said, your memories will slowly come back in this journey. Give it some time. Let’s try something simple… What’s your name?” Jaina carefully asked in a hushed voice. She sat down beside Sylvanas who was now staring blankly ahead, evidently trying to wrap her thoughts around the idea that she was dead. 

As a wayfairer, Jaina has seen all sorts of reactions once she informs the dead that they’re well…  _ dead _ . Others take the news quite well as if with relief while others lash out in anger in disbelief. It would take them a few moments to gather their wits and finally accept the truth. Some souls she ended up hating; oh she couldn’t count the number of times she prayed for the Light to just whisk them away and end her suffering but other times, she found joy in her responsibility. She grew soft for some of them after getting to know who they were in Life and sometimes, she would shed a tear once they’ve reached the end of the journey. Jaina  _ never _ forgot a face. Whether they were a pain in the ass or someone she’s grown fond of, she remembers every soul she has guided and this became both a blessing and a curse. A blessing since she gets to hear interesting stories and the memory of them keeps her company but at the same time a curse because she knew no one could remember her. Once a soul crosses to the afterlife, they’re reincarnated, to what she wouldn’t know exactly but one thing is for sure... they’re rid of everything in the past, including her. In the end, Jaina was alone. 

“Sylvanas… my name is Sylvanas Windrunner” the elf let out a shaky breath. She barely spoke in a whisper but it was enough to snap out Jaina from her own thoughts. Sylvanas finally looks at Jaina and finds the human staring intently at her. Neither of them looks away, both encaptured by each other’s presence. 

The look on Sylvanas’ face spoke volumes. Her eyes searching for answers. 

_ She must be a broken one.  _ That look was all Jaina needed to make an unspoken promise to do everything she can to help the elf in front of her. She promised herself she’d be whatever the elf needed her to be on this journey. 

“I know” Jaina gave a comforting smile

“Then why did you still ask me if you already knew?”    
“Just making sure” Jaina shrugged and her action earned a chuckle, although a hollow one, from the elf “Sylvanas, I’m your wayfairer and I assure you I’ll be with you every step of the way. I will be with you until the end of your journey.” 

  
Sylvanas could see the sincerity in Jaina’s words and she felt a pang in her heart. The idea of this journey terrified her but it put her at ease knowing she wasn’t alone. 

“Now come, I’m assuming that house is yours. You might find something that would help you recall your memories. If not then you just get some rest. You look like you need it” there it was again, the teasing. Jaina stood up with a bounce and gently pulled Sylvanas to her feet

“That almost sounded like an insult you know” 

“Oh please, I’m sure you know you look like shit” Sylvanas’ ear twitched once again but this time it wasn’t because of annoyance or disbelief. She stared back at Jaina who had the widest smile on her face and for the first time in a long while, Sylvanas found herself laughing.


End file.
